Wilted Beauty
by Wilted Beauty
Summary: Our lives are made up of choices,decisions. When you close one door, two more open.She was always in their shadows, dwarfed by their triumph. But now its her turn. Love or Hate. Life or Death. Or like a rose,will she wilt away when the time of glory comes
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto characters belong to: Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

_Wilted Beauty  
_

There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the years course.  
Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning  
if it were not balanced by sadness.  
- Carl Jung

"Let's play a game."

_Oh God, please no. _Sakura swallowed thickly. "What kind of game?"

He stepped forward smoothly, his black cloak sweeping the floor. Eyes filled with the spilt blood of countless victims drilled into her frozen form; Eyes that she had to avoid.

Sakura looked around, panic plastered into her features. He stopped a foot away; towering over her. She had since lowered her self to a crouching position.

"Look at me," softly, almost gentle.

"…no."

"Look at me." Patience was apparent in his voice. Sakura knew that no matter how hard she fought, how long she waited, he would always fight harder and could wait longer. Her gaze quickly returned to his feet.

"No," Stronger now, more volume, "No!"

She lunged forward, ready to knock him off his feet. He side-stepped and turned to face her. Just as she hit the ground she leaped back towards his throat. Kunai's clashed. She flew off her feet and smashed into the wall twenty feet away- something snapped. Sakura gasped in surprise.

_Fast. _She hadn't been able to even anticipate his next move! There wasn't anyway she could win.

Slow, steady footsteps were coming in her direction. Something warm and sticky slid down the side of her face and onto the floor. This wouldn't last long- _She _wouldn't last long.

"Look at me," a whisper now.

Sakura slammed her eyes shut and shook her head slowly. Tears streamed down her cheeks, she sniffed and brought her hand up to rub her nose. Why was this happening to her? Why did everything happen to her? She could feel his eyes stabbing through her.

A sudden pressure on her abdomen forced her to gasp and her eyes open. She bit back a moan of pain and glanced up.

"Ita-" Emeralds met rubies, their eyes met.

"Let's play a game."

_Mangekyou Sharingan_

"_You're everything to me!"_

"_-avenger."_

"_Promise me…promise me you'll bring him back."_

"_Sakura…"_

"_I promise."_

"_You are…annoying"_

"_-protect those who are important to me! That is my ninja way!"_

"_I love you!"_

"…_thank you"_

Sakura woke up three days later- chained, beaten, and chakra drained.

* * *

"…nothing special." 

"-keep her?"

"…brother."

A murmur of voices woke Sakura. She was trying not to move, trying not to call attention to herself. Her wrists were chained high above her head, leaving her body to dangle below. A sort of collar was clamped around her neck, ensuring she wouldn't be able to look anywhere but straight ahead. Her ankles too where chained to the wall.

Sakura looked around the best she could. No windows, a door, and a table and chair. Homey.

It was damp, sticky to the point that her clothes clung to her. Quiet footsteps became louder in no time and the door opened. The light blinded her for a minute, and the door closed again.

A dark figure stood in front of it, watching her over the tall, black collar. Red eyes gleamed dangerously- Sharingan. Sakura felt the breath whoosh out of her. He walked towards her, red clouds over black dancing across his body. He stopped a close distance from her- too close. Uncomfortably close.

Sakura shifted a bit, trying to look past him.

"Have you come to a decision?" His deep voice vibrated throughout the room.

"You already know the answer." Stubborn. Strong. Stay strong.

"Then there's no choice."

Sakura's eyes traveled over his face and rested on his own. Strong. Stay strong. "There's always a choice."

_Mangekyou Sharingan  
_

* * *

_Why did you leave me… _

_Why haven't you come back…_

_Sasuke…_

_Please._

Sakura cracked her eyes open, He was still there; sitting at the table staring into her face. Sakura turned the best she could to face him. Show no fear. Rule number one when dealing with a wild animal. And that's what he was, an animal. He knew no mercy, and killed to gain. Everything to gain. He stayed with the Uchiha clan to learn the secret jutsu's they held, and then he killed them, to gain more power. He was the one who turned Sasuke into a…a… an animal. In a way, they are, and always had been the same. Everything to gain. Anything for power.

"You can't beat him."

His eyes flashed, but he stayed where he was.

Sakura took a breath. "Can you let me down? My arms have lost circulation."

"Have you accepted my proposition?"

Her own eyes flared with anger. "He will kill you." She whispered.

_Mangekyou Sharingan_

"_Ino-chan?"_

"_Ya, what is it?"_

"…_I heard you like Sasuke-kun too…"_

"_Ya, what of it?"_

"_Then from now on……we're rivals." _

* * *

"This is getting old," she managed to bite out. 

"It's up to you."

_Insufferable!_ He was leaning against the far wall. His cloak was gone, draped neatly over the chair.

"You Akatsuki have a nasty habit of kicking us little people when we're down."

He watched her, probably thinking of some sort of way to torture her into talking. Then, almost shrugging he pushed away from the wall and walked towards the door. It was open half way when he stopped, and glanced back at her.

"How long do you think you can wait?" he asked very nonchalantly.

"I've spent my life waiting. Don't think you can change that." She spat.

"Hn."

_Mangekyou Sharingan_

* * *

**Hey everyone. This is the first chappy of _Wilted Beauty._ Hope you all enjoyed. Flames are welcome, as are any requests. I'll try my best to fit them all in, but remember this is just the first chapter. Things are gonna get very angsty and depressing before it clears up. Read and Review Please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto characters belong to: Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

_Wilted Beauty_

"Do not ask which creature screams in the night, Do not question who waits for you in the shadow. It is my cry that wakes you in the night, And my body that crouches in the shadow. I am Tzeench and you are the puppet That dances to my tune."  
-Karanzantor the Vile, The Traitor of Xian

Sakura was tired, hungry, and beaten. She had awoken in a heap on the floor, bindings gone, and no chakra. Her clothes were in shreds; no doubt from the escape she had tried to make. She shivered and pressed her back up against the stone wall behind her, staring across at the chair Itachi had left moments before.

It had gone like any other conversation; him making empty threats, bargaining with her, promising; her ignoring what he said, retaliating with snide comments.

It had been days since Sakura's last meal. Rice, chicken- stop it! She told herself. Her stomach gave a painful growl. She curled in on herself and rocked back and forth. She couldn't give it to them, what they wanted. He had just vanished! Out of thin air! Gone! No one knew where to look, or where to find him. Sakura sighed. Either of them, she thought.

She tried looking back to happier days, which in fact, wasn't long ago. Teem seven together, training, fighting, yelling at Kakashi-sensai for being late….again. Sakura laughed. Those perverted novels. She shook her head wistfully. Sasukes' silent appeal, the way he stood silhouetted against the suns glare. His pale skin, as breath-takingly beautiful as the moon; and eyes like crystallized…. She shook her head again. Naruto… Her Naruto. Her protector, her brother, her friend- He was always there for her no matter when or where. Except now, she thought.

The door swung open. Sakura closed her eyes and steeled herself. She looked up, expecting to see Itachi, and was surprised. A strangely feminine man stood there- Itachi's height, blond hair in an obscure 'due', and the eye that she could see was shockingly orange in color. He was clad in an Akatsuki cloak and had the strangest look on his face…

He took in her appearance-eyes lingering on her hair- and walked forward. Sakura's back stiffened and he smirked. He sat casually down on the chair across from her and leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. There was an odd sort of predatory gleam to his eye as he watched her… It reminded Sakura of how a hawk watched a mouse from above; hungry, dangerous.

Sakura leaned back against the cool stone of the wall and inhaled. He leaned back and smiled. Her gaze darted around and his smile broadened into a grin. The door was still open. She leaped forward into him and collided with the chair. She looked around quickly and saw him standing in front of the door.

"Tsk, tsk," he said smiling and closed the door slowly behind him.

Sakura jumped up and ran to the door slamming her body into it and banging her fists against the wood.

"Please!" she screamed, "Let me go! I don't have what you want!" The door flung open again knocking her back to the floor. She looked up, tears in her eyes and began to plead.

A different man stepped from behind the door and in front of the blond one. This one was also in an Akatsuki cloak, but was shorter and had deep red hair.

"Deidara," he spoke, but kept his eyes on her. He too studied her body, face and hair with interest. "Leave." The man known as Deidara scoffed, but turned and left. The shorter one continued to stare at her.

"I-" her throat suddenly felt incredibly dry. "I don't know what you want," Sakura stood up using the wall as her support, "but what ever it is," she looked him in the eyes, "I do _not _have it."

The man rolled his eyes. "Be quite." He said and flicked his wrist- all five fingers pointed towards her. She couldn't speak, couldn't even move. Several chakra imbedded strings appeared, running from the tips of his fingers to different parts of her body. She was jerked from the wall and into the center of the room. He came in and circled her slowly, murmuring praises and giving nods of approval.

Sakura tried to move again. What ever he had done, her body felt as if it were chiseled from stone. Paralyzed, she could do nothing as he lifted the scraps of cloth from her shoulders in disapproval.

"Yes." He whispered, running a rough hand down the side of her cheek. "Yes, you will make a fine doll indeed."

Sakura's' eyes widened in dawning horror as she took in his appearance completely. Wooden; a puppet. He was a puppet, a puppet master…Sasori. The name came to her like a dark gift and she was lifted up off the ground and pulled towards his retreating figure.

* * *

She passed more doors and rooms then she could count, coming and going into unending hallways. She could look no where but straight ahead, a tidbit from the jutsu used on her. Sakura was screaming inside. She was screaming and crying and punching and kicking and all she could think about was what was going to happen to her in this place. 

What seemed like hours later, she was pulled through a door into a large work shop. Six large metal tables where lined up in the center of the room. Weapons and tools of all sorts were littered across three of them, the others were bare. Bodies were hung from the walls like trophies, men, women, children- some as young as seven or eight- all dressed up as geisha, princesses, warriors, etc…

Sasori strolled around her bound form again before laying her out on the middle of the three barren tables. He held a syringe in his hand filled with a strange green substance. He injected it into the inside of her elbow and tossed the used needle aside; then stared down into her eyes while caressing the side of her face.

Sakura's' vision started to swim. The last thing she saw was a dark haired figure walk out from the shadows complete with an Akatsuki cloak and spinning, red eyes. Then everything went black.

* * *

**Hello everyone. Thus ends the second part of _Wilted Beauty. _Charming isnt it? Well, I tried and I would love your opinion on it. Don't forget, I do accept flames and your requests. I don't like how everyone treats Deidara like hes a small child; all happy. He wouldn't be in the Akatsuki if he 'cared' about everyones feelings. gah. it makes me gag. And we mustn't forget that they _are_**** Akatsuki! Leaders! The strongest! And its going to be a long long _long_ time before they treat Sakura as an equal. She is weak. But she is strong in ways Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki are not. Will that save her? We'll see...**


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